What is an acceptable standard of skimming

[Declan52]

Have you fully paid them yet as that is no where near acceptable. That's first maybe second year apprentice standard. 

[Onoff]

Feeling pretty good about mine and my lad's plastering efforts in the bathroom now! How do they get it so thick in one place the level rocks like that? Was the wall boarding not flat to start with?

 

I'll admit we did then make use of Easifill 20 and a Mirka sander:

 

 

Whoever said spotlights hide everything isn't wrong! ?

 

 

@nod, in the case of a badly plastered ceiling or wall that's been painted, do you have to take the paint off to redo?

[AliG]

8 hours ago, Steph188 said:

We have had a pretty dodgy plastering job on a huge extension and renovation. We've just noticed, like you, that some of the plastering is really below par. Ripples, bad joins, scrim tape grinning through etc. We've spoken to him and he is quite defensive saying that the mist coat would cover it, but the areas that have been mist coated, you can still see the ripples and scars etc. 

 

Hi @Steph188 they are having a laugh. "The mist coat will cover it" How do they expect a thin coat of paint to cover gouges, rough plastering etc. That is a much worse job than I was complaining about , in fact I think it is probably the worst plastering I have ever seen.

 

We had two rooms that were a problem and one wall in another room. They were all replastered at no cost to me by a better plasterer.

[nod]

1 hour ago, Onoff said:

Feeling pretty good about mine and my lad's plastering efforts in the bathroom now! How do they get it so thick in one place the level rocks like that? Was the wall boarding not flat to start with?

 

I'll admit we did then make use of Easifill 20 and a Mirka sander:

 

 

Whoever said spotlights hide everything isn't wrong! ?

 

 

@nod, in the case of a badly plastered ceiling or wall that's been painted, do you have to take the paint off to redo?

You can fill like the pictures 

While joint cement won’t stick to paint 

Easy fill will If the area has been sanded first 

[Steph188]

7 hours ago, Declan52 said:

Have you fully paid them yet as that is no where near acceptable. That's first maybe second year apprentice standard. 

We have 2k on the job at the moment, but it's going to cost a lot more to repair that. 

I said to him, I'm standing here looking at a ceiling that's been mist coated and I can still see it all, so where do we draw the line! He is pleasant enough but obviously now getting veery defensive. I genuinely think he thinks it's just "the light showing the bottom layers of the plaster" or so he said!!

 

[Steph188]

1 hour ago, Onoff said:

Feeling pretty good about mine and my lad's plastering efforts in the bathroom now! How do they get it so thick in one place the level rocks like that? Was the wall boarding not flat to start with?

 

I'll admit we did then make use of Easifill 20 and a Mirka sander:

 

 

Whoever said spotlights hide everything isn't wrong! ?

 

 

@nod, in the case of a badly plastered ceiling or wall that's been painted, do you have to take the paint off to redo?

It was all brick work so he has every opportunity to make sure his boarding was flat. Yes yours is much better! Glad to see lights do hide a bit as we can't afford to get them all redone. 

Thank you

[nod]

25 minutes ago, Steph188 said:

It was all brick work so he has every opportunity to make sure his boarding was flat. Yes yours is much better! Glad to see lights do hide a bit as we can't afford to get them all redone. 

Thank you

Many site plasterers put on thick coat on and go over it with these silly quick skim floats or shine with plastic 

 

The job pictured was a 60 bed hotel that we lost out to another company 

I had three tapers there for five weeks sorting it out 

It all needed redoing really 

[Gus Potter]

This is a bit of a tricky subject.

 

Below is a link to a technical guide... lot's of references to technical standards.

 

That said, it does mention benchmarking and the importance of preparing the substrate.

 

On a large scale you can basically do a few panels, the Client, Contractor, Architect, PM etc discuss this at length and agree on what is acceptable.

 

If you are a home owner then you can do roughly the same. Plaster a wall and a ceiling, if all agree on the standard of finish then progress. Make sure the painter / decorator is there too as they are the ones that have to work with what they have. Too rough and they may walk away or charge you more.

 

https://www.google.com/search?q=plastering+flatness&source=lmns&bih=834&biw=1760&client=firefox-b-d&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjl4-Hjwd_rAhUBYxoKHXBRAyIQ_AUoAHoECAEQAA

 

Another key point is that plastering / taping is a craft as demonstrated by some of the members / conributors who make a living from this type of work and you get what you pay for. To paraphrase Ruskin.. Pay too little and you risk wasting all of your money, pay a bit too much and you lose a little money, but maybe the decorator will charge you less as a properly plastered job is a dream for them.